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REVIEW: Peeples

Tyler Perry produced this one. He didn’t write or star. It probably would have been a stronger film if he did.

Kerry Washington plays Grace, the lawyer-daughter of a pompous judge (a very funny David Alan Grier) and his ex-Disco star wife (S. Epatha Merkerson) as a recovering alcoholic who now indulges in magic mushrooms. The alcoholic jokes must have all ended up on the cutting room floor since the topic was introduced then quickly dropped. Craig Robinson (of “The Office”) gets his first leading man role as Grace’s regular guy live-in love, Wade. When she fails to invite him to her family’s reunion at their Hamptons mansion, he crashes the party, intending to propose to Grace. What could possibly go wrong?? You could probably write the script.

When the iconic Melvin Van Peebles shows up as the grand-dad, it’s a tongue-in-cheek homage . After all, the film is called “Peeples”. Van Peebles is the father of African-American focused films. A true legend.

Despite having the feel of a formulaic sitcom, this one’s still entertaining. But it could have been so much more than a been-there-done that. There’s nothing new or fresh. It’s a mere rehash.